


A Lover's Reassurence

by charmed_seconds



Series: A King and His Warlock [17]
Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Kink Me Fill, M/M, body issues
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-07-19
Updated: 2014-07-19
Packaged: 2018-02-09 14:03:44
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 887
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1985691
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/charmed_seconds/pseuds/charmed_seconds
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Since he was a young teen, Merlin has always been the picture of a lanky nerd. Thin arms, skin stretched over bones. Insecurity was his biggest weakness, and it didn't go away when he got together with Arthur. How could it when Arthur was the direct opposite of him. Tanned, muscled, utterly beautiful, Merlin felt not up to par. </p><p>Basically, it's an insecure!Merlin getting a few words of comfort from his awesome partner, Arthur.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Lover's Reassurence

**Author's Note:**

> Original Prompt from Kink Me: Can I have a fill that's full of love for skinny!Merlin? I would like a fic in which Merlin is as thin as he is in S2 and is ashamed of it, and perhaps bullied, but Arthur finds him beautiful. I don't want Arthur fattening him up, just Merlin coming to accept himself as he is and everyone being happy

             The mirror was never Merlin’s friend. Standing in front of it, he could see his ribs stretched over milky white skin. His arms were barely wider than branches on a tree and he was as lithe as they came. Within the reflective glass, Merlin could hear the words of peers tormenting him. He could remember his mother’s concern voice whenever they sat down for dinner - always pushing thirds and fourths on him even though he could barely finish his second plate. No matter how much he ate, fast food, cakes, grease-slathered, no amount of fat would cling to his bones.

             He wasn't unhealthy. He loved to eat and he often did; surprising everyone at how much he did. Doctors have put him on a plethora of diets to try to get his weight up to a more healthy and common weight; but, all have failed.

             Even now at the age of twenty, on the final stepping stones to getting his degree, Merlin was a six-foot-man that barely tipped the scale at one-hundred and forty-three pounds. Merlin sighed heavily as he ran a hand down the front of his torso. He could feel every bump on the ribs, the sharp smoothness of his sternum and then the soft inward curve of his stomach. Glancing up, pained blue eyes reflected back in the mirror. How anyone found this beautiful was beyond Merlin.

             “Stop,”

             Merlin flinched, his head bowing in shame. He couldn't stop from tensing when he felt large, muscled arms wrap around him, the tanned forearms resting comfortably on the sides of his pelvis. He felt the reassuring warmth behind him and he allowed his body to relax and lean against his partner. For two years, he has called these arms sanctuary and has felt the luxury of having a man who loved him waiting for him at home for the past year and half. Feeling the soft caress of a lips against his neck, Merlin sighed. “Arthur,”

             “You need to stop this,”

             Merlin chuckled weakly, “Your wish is my command, sire,”

             Arthur frowned and pulled Merlin close, “You’re going to make me do it, aren’t you.”

             “I’m not making you do anything, Arthur. We need to get dressed, Gwen and Lancelot aren’t going to wait forever.” Merlin tried to break Arthur’s hold; but found the arms only tightening around him, “Arthur!”

             “Listen,” Arthur whispered, his lips lightly touching Merlin’s ear, “You are beautiful.” Merlin scoffed at Arthur’s statement.

             Arthur growled and cupped Merlin’s chin, “Look in the mirror will you, you damn idiot,” Arthur tightened his hold, “What do you see?”

             “A prat holding me hostage when we’re supposed to be getting dressed for our double date,”

             Arthur closed his eyes, “You never see what I see when I see you.”

             “Arthur-“

             “You’re beautiful,” Arthur stressed, “These are nothing,” he continued his finger trailing over Merlin’s ribs, “This is nothing” a finger softly caressing Merlin’s concave stomach.

             “I look like a bloody scarecrow,” Merlin mumbled.

             “No, you look like a man that has utterly no self-worth,” Arthur sighed, “Why do you find yourself so ugly?”

             “Arthur, look at me. I’m skinny. I’m practically a walking skeleton. And there’s...there’s you. You’re...handsome.”

             “I also have crooked teeth and my feet are horrifically disgusting,” Arthur stated, Merlin catching his eyes rolling in the mirror, “We all have faults that we loathe about ourselves.”

             Merlin sighed, his eyes closing. He gasped when he felt Arthur’s lips on his collarbone. Reaching back, Merlin grasped Arthur’s side, “Arthur,”

             “I wouldn’t be able to do this,” Arthur whispered as he knelt and pressed a kiss to each of Merlin’s ribs, “Every part of you I fucking love. The way you fit in my arms. The way my clothes practically drown you because you’re so damn skinny. The way I put my hands on your hips and I can grasp them and pull you close to me.” Arthur slid around Merlin so he was kneeling in front of him, “And I love that I can do this,” Slowly, Arthur licked a trail up from Merlin’s belly button to the collarbone, “Shall I continue?'

             “Not if we want to get to the movie on time,” Merlin whispered, “What if I did gain weight though, would you-“

             “Would you leave me if I grew a potbelly and all my muscles vanished?” Arthur asked softly.

             Merlin shook his head, a small smile stretching on his lips when he felt Arthur peck his forehead. “Then, there’s your answer,” Arthur said softly, his hand cupping Merlin’s cheek; his thumb caressing the sharp cheekbone, “Merlin, if I fell in love with your looks, I wouldn’t still be here.”

             Merlin allowed to be pulled close, his forehead resting against Arthur’s, “Are you saying my looks have changed a lot in the past two years,”

             “Well you did go through the small hipster stage,” Arthur weakly joked, “then that emo phase.”

             “Ugh, I can’t believe I let Gwaine talked me into wearing those damn glasses,”

             Arthur laughed and lightly kissed Merlin, “Get dressed. I don’t want to hear Gwen if we’re late.”

             Merlin nodded and watched as Arthur started to walk towards the attached bathroom. “Arthur?”

             Arthur stopped in the threshold and looked back at Merlin with a raised eyebrow. “Thank you.” Merlin softly said.

             Arthur chuckled, “Just get dressed, idiot.”

              

 

 


End file.
